Daddy, what's a dashboard?

Summit Point Raceway, WV —The first question you ask when you climb into the Buick Bengal is: "Umm, where are the gauges?"

Like its cousins, the GMC Terracross and Cadillac Vizon, the Bengal has no visible instrument cluster. To find out what's happening under the Bengal's hood, you glance at the head-up display (HUD) projected onto the car's windshield. Likewise, the Terracross' digital screen and the Vizon's analog dials flip in-side the dashboard as soon as the engine stops.

GM's latest round of concept cars hit the test track in May, with a mix of 21st century hideaway gauges, '90s-era SUV-inspired bodies, and '50s interior styling. Although they're still a half-decade from the showroom floor, these six vehicles reveal some cutting-edge technology.

The Vizon, for example, has no rear-view mirrors. What use are mirrors when backward-pointing cameras project the road behind you onto a retractable dashboard monitor? And the Bengal has no bank of manual controls for the dashboard functions. It relies on voice-operated commands, and a single, mouse-like button on the steering wheel.

Industrial workplaces are governed by OSHA rules, but this isn’t to say that rules are always followed. While injuries happen on production floors for a variety of reasons, of the top 10 OSHA rules that are most often ignored in industrial settings, two directly involve machine design: lockout/tagout procedures (LO/TO) and machine guarding.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.